(TV) set for World Cup action

It is just a month away from the World Cup.

And football fans are getting ready to soak in the atmosphere of the Beautiful Game.

Some have dressed up their living rooms with their favourite team colours. Others have bought jerseys and banners to display their loyalty.

Some have even splurged on big screen TV sets to get close to the action.The World Cup begins on June 12.

Courts Megastore in Tampines said it has seen a jump in sales of about 40 per cent. Sales of big screen TV sets have almost doubled in the past week, said Courts.

Forget the 42- and 50-inch TVs. The company is set to bring in the latest set that will rule them all - a 105-inch behemoth.

Mr Terence Robinson, the manager of the branch said some of the new sets come with a special feature - the soccer mode, where players' action during the match can be clearly seen without any blurring.

"The colours are intensified as well. So the grass on the field looks greener. It will surely draw them in," he said.

So how big are people going?

Mr Robinson said that most customers get 60-inch TVs.

A newbie on the market is the curved ultra high-definition (UHD) model, which boasts four times the resolution in its display.

In January, Samsung released the curved UHD TV which is "designed after the curvature of human eyes". This curvature lessens distortion that occurs from the difference of the viewing angle between the viewer's eyes and a flat screen.

Another new kid on the TV block is the OLED set.

The OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TV does not have UHD in its display, but makes use of light bulbs to produce images while most TVs use LCD.

LG was the first in the market with its OLED TV, which was released in August last year. It boasts a curvy, slim design.

But due to the simplicity and user-friendly technology of the Samsung UHD TV, most interested customers end up buying that over the OLED TV.

"Samsung seems to be the brand that people look for curved TVs. They trust the brand," said Mr Robinson.

Said Mr David Lee, a sales representative at Courts: "People want to get a cinematic experience while watching their TV shows and guys want the best when watching football matches."

WANTS NEW TV

Mr Samuel Francis, 19, and his family are happy with their 32-inch Toshiba full HD TV.

But he admitted that he would like to get the curved UHD TV.

He said: "I really like the shape of the TV. It is unique and looks futuristic to me."

But it will be up to his father.

The accounting and finance student at Temasek Polytechnic is a Brazil fan.

Watching matches with his father is a great time for bonding, but there is the occasional fight because his father supports Germany.

Mr Francis recollected the 2002 World Cup final between Germany and Brazil, which Brazil won for the fifth time.

"I was shouting when Brazil won, but my dad was just sitting quietly in the corner. I think he was disappointed," he said with a laugh.

The colours are intensified as well. So the grass on the field looks greener. It will surely draw them in.

- Mr Terence Robinson, branch manager of Courts Megastore in Tampines, on new models